News and Awards

Norfolk men win Beef Farmer of the YearBeckhithe Farms, run jointly by Gary Gray and Barry Brooks, in Norfolk is the 2007 Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year sponsored by McDonalds.

Gary and Barry impressed the judges with their close working relationship with other people in the industry. “We value everyone as a partner and for this industry to survive the people in it have to work together for the good of the supply chain.”

David Hendy, independent beef consultant and one of the judges commented: “It’s quite the most remarkable of business templates for any beef producer to comprehend and appreciate, regardless of size. Their utter professionalism in amalgamating management, technical, environmental and economic requirements for a profitable beef enterprise is outstanding.”

Over 100 farmers have entered in this year’s Awards with more than 30 businesses in the line-up reflecting the very best that British producers can offer across 12 categories.

The Awards’ aim is to recognise innovation and achievement among individual farmers as well as celebrate excellence within the industry.

In the run-up to the Awards, Farmers Weekly magazine is profiling the shortlisted farms from each category every week, with a focus on the three finalists competing for each award.

Beckhithe Farms was chosen as the 2007 East of England regional winner in Natural England’s prestigious new ‘Future of Farming’ awards

The scheme celebrates environmental excellence and innovation in farming and recognises farmers who have made the greatest contribution to both conserving England’s special wildlife and landscapes, and to helping people have access to our natural environment.

The award was made to Beckhithe Farms for ‘exemplary management of wildlife, landscape and access’ on the extensive Broadland farm.

"These awards are a result of hard work by all our team and we also work very closely with our suppliers," says Gary Gray.

Acle High School - Introduction to agriculrueIn July 2009 we had our first visit from Acle High School students to the farm.They will be visting the farm for 5-6 days over the year and will use the experiences gained towards their Diplomas in Environmental and Land-Based Studies.We look forward to developing the partnership with Acle High School as they progress through their programme.

Why Farming Matters

In the summer Beckhithe Farms hosted the launch of the NFU's 'Why Farming Matters to the Broads'.

The publication shows how farming is linked with the environment, rural communities, tourism and local economies within this unique landscape.

Healthier animalsLooking after the health of animals means protecting them from diseases such as pneumonia as well as providing a welfare-friendly environment — as illustrated in a high-profile advertising campaign featuring Gary Gray, manager of Beckhithe Farms.

In the advertisement Gary is quoted as saying he didn’t realise, for instance, the true cost of underlying respiratory viruses until he started vaccination.

"In my experience it's not just obvious pneumonia cases that cost so much , profits are also hit by hidden damage caused by underlying respiratory viruses in the rest of the herd," he says. "These animals can look healthy but show a reduced weight gain and are later finishing.

"Once I started using Rispoval 4 vaccine, I was impressed by how much healthier was the whole herd, improving growth rates and maintaining profits."

Cut Above Campaign

Gary Gray, manager of Beckhithe Farms, was one of 23 delegates to the Farm Business Beef Industry Summit at the House of Lords in April, held in conjunction with the Cut Above campaign organised by the journal.

The delegates, hosted by Lord Palmer and including Shadow Agriculture Minister James Paice MP, represented the supply industry, vets, producers, processors and retailers.

The summit agreed that despite the threat of imports, British beef does have some significant advantages. But for these to be exploited fully, major changes are needed in all parts of the supply chain. These included more focus on consistent quality and branding, greater communication throughout the chain, more transparency of data between processors and producers and greater understanding of costings.

The event was part of the Cut Above campaign run by Farm Business in conjunction with Pfizer Animal Health during which more than 700 beef producers discussed the industry in 14 meetings around the country.